Treating migraine by training in temporal artery vasoconstriction and/or cognitive behavioral coping: a one-year...

A one-year follow-up on 16 chronic migraine patients treated with vasoconstriction biofeedback of the temporal arteries (VT) or cognitive behavioral stress coping training (CT), or one of two serial variations of them, is reported: there were four experimental groups EG-1a: VT, 10 sessions; EG-1b: Vt, 5 sessions and CT, 5 sessions; EG-11a: CT, 10 sessions; EG-11b: CT, 5 sessions and VT, 5 sessions. Another group of 4 migraine patients was assigned to a waiting control. All treatment groups decreased the frequency, duration and intensity of headaches, as well as amount of medication from baseline to the one-year follow-up. However, there were no differences between the groups (the controls were not followed-up). During treatment, but not at follow-up 1 (two months after therapy), voluntary vasoconstriction was higher in EG-1a than in EG-11a, although all EGs vasoconstricted. Voluntary vasoconstriction was not tested at one-year follow-up. The cognitive training groups improved more in self-ratings of irritability, depression and positive self-evaluation than the biofeedback or control groups on follow-up 1, but this difference was not maintained at one year. All treatment groups showed deterioration in measure of excitement and depression, returning to pre-treatment levels. Improvements in irritability and positive-self-evaluation were however sustained at one year follow-up.